Musical instrument



No. 752,782. PATENTED FEB. 23, 1904. B. R. KIESSIG. MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

-APPLIGATION FILED MAY-' 1903- NO MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 752,782. PATBNTED FEB. 23, 1904.

B. R. KIBSSIG.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

A LIQATION FILED MAY 19, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Q a, A i a a f a k N 1 mm 72 fave/2507 fiemardfffpaga MWWQ4J UNITED STATES Patented. February 23, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

BERNHARD R. KIESSIG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERI- CAN MUSIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,782, dated February 23, 1904,

Application filed May 19, 1903.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNHARD R. KIEssIG, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to stringed musical instruments wherein the strings are struck by means of hammers operated by finger-keys; and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide an instrument-body which shall be light in weight and at the same time of great strength in resisting the tendency to collapse under the tension of the strings; second, to provide a flexible connection between the key and the key-lever; third, to provide a selfadjusting damper; fourth, to provide connections between the key-lever and the hammer whereby a slight motion of the key will produce the necessary travel of the hammer;

fifth, to produce a particular form of overthrow mechanism whereby the hammer may have an overthrow movement to strike the sounding string and be immediately thereafter lifted from the string while the key is yet depressed and the damper held out of contact with the string; sixth, to produce a soft action, so that little force will be required to cause the string to sound; seventh, to provide the other .details hereinafter more specifically set forth. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete instrument, showing a portion of the hood broken away to reveal the rear portions of some of the key-levers. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the complete instrument, taken on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views drawn to an increased scale to illustrate the key-action. In Fig. 3

Serial No. 157,763. (No model.)

string has been struck, but before the key has been released. The position of the hammer shown in dotted lines, Fig. 4, indicates the time during the overthrow when the hammer strikes the string. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail view illustrating the connection between the key and the key-lever. Fig. 6 is a top fragmentary view of a hammerand its adjacent operating devices.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The instrument-body comprises the sounding-board a, the wrest-plank 6, the stringblock 0, and the thrust-pieces (Z (Z, which are arranged in the well-known manner.

The bottom a of the instrument is not constructed of wood, but consists of a sheet of metal which extends between and is secured to the wrest-plank b, string-block 0, and thrustpieces cl. By preference a fold a is turned in the sheet-metal instrument bottom at the point where it is secured to the under surface of the string-block 0. The string-pins e penetrate said double or folded portion of the instrument bottom and are rigidly held, in the string-block 0.

The string-rail f extends across the instrument above the sounding-board a, and the strings f, which are rigidly secured at one end to said pins 0 extend around and over the outside of the block 0, over the rail 7", to the wrest-pins f mounted in the wrest-plank I). By this construction, inasmuch as the pins 6 penetrate the instrument bottom a, the strain due to the tension of the strings is transmitted over the string-block through the wrest-pins f and instrument bottom 0 back to the wrest-plank b-that is to say, the pins 6 which are held rigid in the instrument bottom a, as Well as in the string-block 0, serve as a positive connection between said instrument bottom and the strings f, so that the tightening of the strings also causes the tightening of the said instrument bottom. The advantage gained by this construction lies in the fact that the tension of the strings does not depend upon fastenings mounted in the strin block, but depends instead upon the pins 4 which are retained by the instrument bottom itself. Thus when the strings f are tightened the tendency is to draw the instrument bottom 0 tight, the strings slipping over the outer surface of the string-block 0. Inasmuch as they are permanent fastenings which secure the instrument bottom to the wrest-plank I), there is less likelihood that there will be any give to said instrument bottom when the strings are brought up to pitch. By thus having the tension of the strings depend upon the security of the instrument bottom the entire instrument-bod y becomes rigid and prevents the strings from becoming slack, and hence losing their proper pitch.

The board g extends transversely to the keys at a slight distance above the strings and has the key-action mounted thereon. By preference said mount-board g is supported upon the blocks 9 g, as shown in Fig. 1. The key-levers h are mounted side by side and one above each of the strings e. The pins it, mounted in the posts Won the mountboard g, serve as fulcrums for said key-levers h. A returning-spring is mounted in position to return the key-levers 7b to the normal position shown in Fig. 3.

It is desirable to provide a piece 1', of leather,

felt, or other suitable material, to relieve the shock when the key is returned to normal position under the influence of the spring 2'. In a similar manner leather, felt, or other material is interposed between the said key-levers and the lever-stop 7c.

The keys on are preferably cylindrical in form, or nearly so, and arranged to stand in an approximately vertical position.

In order that the keys may be readily operated and afford a pleasurable yielding sensation when touched by the performer, a flexible connection between the keys and key-levers is provided. By preference this connection consists of a piece of leather m, extending partially into the key-lever it and partly into the key itself. As illustrated in Fig. 5, this permits a vibration of the key, which enables it to yield to the lateral movement of the fingers when struck. The best results are obtained when said piece m is arranged with its width transverse to the key-lever, so that the greatest vibration is fore and aftthat is, in the direction of the length of the key-lever.

A hammer a is provided for each of the strings e and has any suitable configuration. The rods 01/ are secured at one extremity to the segments 0 and at the other extremity carry said hammers 12.. Said segments are revolubly mounted on the axles 0, supported in the brackets 0 and the arrangement is such that the rotation of such segments about their axes will move the hammer a toward or from the strings 0. Said segments are rotated by means of the cords j), which are attached at one extremity to said segments by means of the staples or other fastenings pl and are led thence around said segments and up to the hooked forward extremity of the substantially inflexible rods (1, projecting from the key-levers it. It is desirable that the surface of said segments be grooved to receive and retain said operating-cords 79.

Segments 0 are normally held by the springs 7' in such a position that the hammers will remain at their greatest distance from the stringsas, for example, in the position shown in Fig. 3. Said springs are attached at one extremity to the pins 9', which are rigidly fixed in and project from the segments 0. The other extremity of said springs is attached to the forward extremity of the damper-levers s. Said levers are pivoted upon the fulcrum-pins s, mounted in the posts .9 located in the present instance beneath the mount-board g. Said damper-levers are operated by means of the links t,'which are pivoted at one extremity to said lovers .9 and at the other extremity to the key-levers 71. in such relation that the depression of the keylever will cause the damper-lever s to rise. Said mount-board r is provided with apertures 25', through which said links 25 pass.

The dampers u consist of leather, felt,'or other suitable material for arresting the vi bration of the strings to stop the sound and have a flexible connection to said lovers 8 through the damper-leaf a. Said damperleaves are, by preference, flexible metallic springs having a bend a at or near the point of attachment to the lever s. Said leaves a thus yieldingly hold the dampers a in contact with the strings f, and a slight variation in the position of said levers s will not cause the dampers to leave said strings. This is an important feature, inasmuch as it is not necessary to have a nice adjustment of the levers s, for the dampers u are to a slight extent independent of the position of said levers.

I would now call attention to another important feature of my invention-namely, the overthrow of the keys and the means by which it is accomplished. his feature will be apparent upon an explanation of the operation of the key-action. Under normal conditions the springs will maintain the keys in the raised position, as shown in Fig. 3, the dampers u will be down upon the strings f", and the hammers a will be held at their farthest point from the strings. Now if the keys m be depressed very slowly the dampers 'u will be raised and the rods 9 at the forward extremity of the key-levers 7t will also be raised. The slow raising of the rods (1 will cause the segments 0 to rotate about their axes against the influence of the spring '1' until such time the key-levers 71/ come into contact with the stop i The parts of the mechanism will then have reached the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4. In this position the hammer will not be in contact with the strings 6, but will be prevented from reaching said strings by reason of the tension of the springs 1. This is when the keys m are depressed slowly. The cord p is soft and flexible, and there is nothing except the springs r to hold the segments 0 from further rotation in a direction to lower the hammer onto the string. Under ordinary conditions, however, the keys are not depressed slowly, but are struck with greater or less force, as is common in performing upon key instruments of this class.

Under ordinary conditions of striking the key the hammers n will acquire such momentum that they will not stop at the moment when the key-levers reach the stop 70, but will continue their motion toward the strings against the resistance of the tension-springs r. The hammers will thus reach the strings, and the force with which said hammers strike them will determine the volume of the resulting sound. A light touch of the key will result in the production of a light tone, while a sharp stroke upon the key will produce a loud tone upon the string. As soon as the hammer has struck the string it immediately rebounds, being acted upon both by the resiliency of the stretched string and by the tension of the spring 1. If the key remains down, the damper u will remain raised; but the hammer 97/ will also remain partially raised in the position shown in Fig. 4, so that the string will continue to sound.

Another feature of my invention is concerned with the manner in which the spring 7' is mounted. It will be noted that as the pin 7 rises it lowers the hammer, and the forward extremity of the damper-lever s also rises. I prefer to so proportion the parts that the ten sion-spring 7' will not commence to be elongated until after the key-lever It has come to rest upon the stop k. Under such conditions the spring 1' may be extremely light and soft, only requiring sufiicient strength to prevent the hammer from dropping onto the string. The motion of the hammer toward the string after the key-lever has reached the stop Z. I term overthrow, and it is preferably during this overthrow that the spring 7" is extended. It is well known that a helical spring lasts longest when operated within limits near its normal lengthi By having the spring 7 thus attached to the part which follows the motion of the pin 1" on the segment said spring is not stretched or elongated to any such extent as it would be if attached to a fixed part of the device.

In the finished machine a hood o is placed over the key-levers and is apertured to permit the keys m to project up through the same, as best indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the precise proportions and relationship of the parts as herein shown, the essential features of my invention being pointed out in the accompanying claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a musical instrument, the combination with sounding-strings, of a body having a metallic bottom connected at one edge-to the wrest-plank and at the other edge to said strings.

2. In a musical instrument, the combination of a wrest-plank; a pin-block; soundingstrings and a metallic bottom piece, said strings being connected at one extremity to the wrest-plank, and at the other extremity to said bottom piece, said strings passing over said pin-block and said bottom piece being attached to said wrest-plank.

3. In a musical instrument, the combination of a wrest-plank; a pin-block; thrustpieces connecting the same; a sheet-metal bottom piece connected to said wrest-plank upon one surface thereof; and sounding-strings connected to said wrest-plank on another surface thereof, said strings passing over said pinblock and being secured tosaidbottompiece at said pin-block.

4. In a musical instrument, the combination of a body-frame; sounding-strings and a sheet-metal bottom piece, said strings and said bottom piece being connected together near one edge of the instrument-body, and being also connected to said instrument near the other edge thereof.

5. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprising an oscillating hammer; a damperlever; a spring connected at one end to said lever and at the other end to said hammer, and means for moving said damper-lever and said hammer simultaneously.

6. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprising an oscillating hammer; a damperlever; a spring connected at one end to said lever and at the other end to said hammer; and a key-lever connected to said hammer and to said damper-lever to move said hammer and said damper-lever simultaneously.

7. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprising an oscillating hammer; a damper and damper-lever whereon said damper is carried; a spring connected at one end to said lever and at the other end to said hammer; and a key-lever connected to said hammer and to said damper-lever for moving said hammer and said damper-lever simultaneously.

8. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprising an oscillating hammer; a damper; a damper-lever; a flexible connection between said damper and said damper-lever; a spring connected at one end to said lever and at the other end to said hammer; and a key-lever connected to said hammer and to said damperlever for moving said hammer and said damper-lever simultaneously.

9. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprisinga pivoted hammer-segment; a keylever; a flexible connection such as a cord wrapped uponsaid segment and attached at one end thereto and at the other end to said key-lever; a damper-lever; and a link connection between said damper-lever and said keylever.

10. In a musical instrument, a key-action comprising a pivoted segment; a hammer-rod extending in one direction therefrom and carrying a hammer; a pin in said segment eX- tending therefrom in a direction away from said hammer-rod, a lever, as s, and a spring connected at one end to said pin and at the other end to said lever, and means for moving said lever and said segment simultaneously to reduce the strain on said spring.

11. In a musical instrument, the combination of a body-frame; sounding-strings; a sheet-metal bottom piece, said strings and said bottom piece being connected together near one edge of the instrument-body and being also connected to said instrument-body near the other edge thereof; a key-lever; a hammer operated by said key-lever; and a damper operated by said key-lever.

12. In a musical instrument, the combination of a body-frame; sounding-strings; a sheet-metal bottom piece; said strings and said bottom piece being connected together near one edge of the instrument-body and being also connected to said instrument-body near the other edge thereof; a key-lever; a hammer operated by said key-lever; a damper-lever operated by said key-lever; and a spring connected at one end to said hammer and at the other end to said damper-lever, said hammer and said damper-lever moving simultaneously, the point of attachment of said spring to said damper-lever moving simultaneously with and in the same direction as the point of attachment of said spring to said hammer.

13. In a musical instrument having avibrating part for the production of sound, the combination of a key-lever having a limited throw; a pivoted hammer normally out of contact with the vibrating sounding part of the instrument; a segment secured to said hammer concentric with the pivot thereof for operating said hammer; a cord wrapped upon said segment, one end of said cord being attached to said segment and the other end of said cord being unyieldingly connected to said key-lever.

BERNHARD R. KIESSIG.

Witnesses:

JULIA M. BRISTOL, J ENNIE I. MCDONALD. 

